Insect-destroyer.



No. 879,838. PATBNTBD mais, 1.908.

f J.S.PEEK.

INSECT DESTROYER.

APPLICATION FILED N ov'.18. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

- J. S. PEBK.

` INSEGT DESTROYER.

APPLIOA'l-ION FILED NOV.18. 1907.

fz; 'Z f PATENT-BD 11m48.190s.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@NITE Sllik LS JOSEPH S. PEER, OF KERRVILLE, TEXAS, SSIGNR l` ONE-HALF TO JAMES il. HOLfl'iltL agi.,

OF KERRVLLE, TEXA S.

INSECTDESTEOYER l Application iiledNovembm 18.1907. Serial No. $32.688.

.To all 'whom it 'may concern: Be it known that I, JosE-PH S. PEEK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kern ville, in the county of Kerr andl State of i Texas, have invented a new and useful In sect-Destroyer, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices of that class employed in the destruction of boil a Weevils and other insects which infest vegetation. l

The principal object of the invention is to rovide a machine of simple construction which Will eifectua'lly remove and gather the i boll Weevils or other insects without injury to the plant.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine in which the plants will be slightly agitated or shaken in order to cause r the insects to fall to the ground after which they are gathered up by suction tubes and delivered to a crushing mechanism.

'With these and other objects in vie-W, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, here inafter fully described, 'illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the a pended claims, it being l understood that various changes in the form,

proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying dra-Wings Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a boll Weevil destroying apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

l Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding )arts throughout the several ligures of the rawings.

The machine is provided with front and rear axles and llthat are centrally arched in` order that the ground Wheels l2 may 'travel on each side of the row of plants, and

the draft mechanism 'may be of an r type,

but preferably is so arranged that a pair of horses or other animals may be used, one onA each side of the row.

The body portion or frame is provided with crushing chamber 16 of yho )per like form in 'cross section, and to whicli the in- -`through a number of suction -the apparatus;

sects are directed throughbeing provided with a rev( receives motion the in described from one of machine, the fan creati g an have their inlet ends close to as to gather up the insects arfall from the plants, the insects es up in the tube or tubes and direc the flue 17 to the crushing chamber l c, they are ground up or crushed.

Secured rigidly to one of the rear wheels i2, is a gear Wheel 20, that is arranged toy mesh with a gear Wheel 2l carried by tra verse disoosed shaft that is mounted 70 adjustable bearing boxes 23, supported oy the frame, and with the shaft engages the forked lower end of pivcted lever 2e that is connected to an operating lever adjacent to the drivers seat 26, so that by moving the lever, the operator may cause the gears 2Q) and 2l to move into or out of mesh, and thus start or stop the operation of all oi the parte Without stopping the forward movement ot On the shaft 22 is arranged a sprocket Wheel 27, which is connected by a link belt 28- to a sprocket Wheel 29 on an intermediateshaft 30. This shaft 30 carries a sprocket Wheel 3l that is connected by a link belt 32 85 to a sprocket Wheel 33 on a shait Se, also mounted in bearings on the frame. The shaft 34 carries a sprocket wheel 35 trat is connected by a link belt 36 to asmail sprocket Wheel 37 on the fan shaft 88, this arrangem 90 mont of transmitting mechanism-being for the purpose of driving a fan sha-ft at'the nec essarily high rate of speed for the purpose. of inducing the suction. draft through the inlet tubes and the flue 1.7. y

Arranged at the bottom ol the chamber i6 is a pairA of crushing .rollers et) and ll, the shaft of the latter roll carrying a sprocket Wheel 42 that is connecte-d. by a link belt l-S to a sprocket wheel 4e, the latter being rig idly secured to and rotating with one of the rear ground wheels. 'l" he two rolls are provided with intermeshing gears 6 of equal diameter, and the faces of the rolls it closely together, so that the insects passing between. them will be crushed. l'lelow the rolls is a collecting chamber 1T into which the crushed insects pass in order to prevent their falling back on top of the row of plants. The oppositeside walls ci the' collecting chamber are tapered and bear against the lower faces of the rolls, so as to act as Scrapers. At the front of the crushing chamber is a slatted belt that passes over upper and lower rollers 51 and 52,' the slats being placed 'very closely together, so as to prevent the esca e f of any of the insects, while permitting the lo free escape of the air. The inner run of this slatted belt moves downward, so that the insects 4will be carried down positively in the direction of the crushing rolls. For the purpose of driving the slatted belt, the shaft of the upper roll 51 is provided with a sprocket 4 wheel' 54, which is connected by a link belt 55 to la sprocket wheel 56 on the shaft 34. The surface of. the slatted belt is kept clean by means of a revoluble beater in the orm of a plurality of knives or blades that are carl ried by a shaft 61. The outer ends of the blades are arran ed close to the surface ofv the inner run' ci' t e belt, and will to a certain extent keep the surface of the belt clear of the insects, so that the air may freely escape. At the same time the knives or blades will act as crushers and destroy any of the insects with which they engage. The shaft 61 is provided with a sprocket wheel 63 that is connected by a link belt 64 to a sprocket wheel on the shaft 30.

Depending from 4the inlet end of the fan chamber is a flexible suction tube 67 and to the lower end of this tube are connected the small suction tubes 19, the inlet mouths of the tubes 19 being arranged very close to the ground. The tubes 19 are curved outward in order that they may straddle the row of plants and the lower ends of the tubes are turned inward slightly, so that the inlet ends may be under the leaves of the plants and thus gather up any insects whicl'i may fall. Secured to the lower portion of each of the tubes i9 is a collar 70 that is provided with a 45 number of lingers '.71 that are designed to travel in contact with the surface of the around and loosen any fallen leaves so as to Iacilitate the gathering of the insects.

ln Aorder to agitate the plants and thus cause the weevils to fall to the ground, a pair of agitating fingers y73 are arranged immediately in iront of the tubes 19. 'lhese :lingers 73 are carried by collars 74 thatare adjustably secured on vertical rods 75, so that the position. of the Alingers may be altered in accordance with the size of the plants. The lower ends of the rods 75 are rovided with collars 7 7 that are adjustably eld by means of clamping screws 7S From the collars 'Z7 extend small eye bolts 79 through which the tubes 19 pass and by which the 'tubes are held in roper relation.

ills the machine driven over the rows of plants, the fingers 73 will engage the leaves 65 and agi-tate the same to an extent sufficient erases to cause the boil weevils to drop to the ground, after which they are immediately drawn u through the suction tubes 19 and delivers through the tube 67 and ilue 17 to the crushing chamber. During this opera-` tion, the fingers 71 will operate to loosen any fallen leaves, and at the same time will operate to move small obstacles out of the path of the mouths of the tubes, and thus prevent the introduction of any large quantity of leaves or other foreign matter into the crushing chamber. ln the event oi the lingers meetinglarger obstacles, the tubes will be di re'cted over or around the same and thus protected from injury. A

In order to prevent the escape of the insects after being dislodged from the plants, a pair f verticalV plates are placed at the lopposite sides of the 'suction'tubes 19, these plates extending close to the ground and serving to prevent the passage of the insects beyond the iield of action of the tubes.

1'. in combination, a wheeled vehicle, a crushing device carried thereby, a pair of suction tubes arranged. to straddle av row of plants and having their lower ends ad'acent to the surface of the ground, guard, 'ngers carried by the lower portions of the tubes, plant shaking devices carried by the vehicle, and means for creating the flow of a current of air through said tubes.

y 2. ln combination, a wheeled vehicle, a crushing device thereon, a' pair of suction tubes arranged to straddle a row of plants 100 and havin their lower inlet ends adjacent to the groun ,guard ngers at the lower ends of the tubes, anda suction inducing means on the vehicle. y

' In combination, a wheeledv vehicle hav- 105 ing an insect receiving compartment, a pair of suction tubes de ending from the vehicle and having their in et ends close to the surface of the ground, guard fingers at the lower portions of the tubes, a conducting flue ben tween the tubes and the chamber, and means 'for inducing the iiow of a current of air thi'ou h said llue. v

4. vn apparatus of the class described, a receiving chamber, a pair of crushing rolls arranged at the bottom of. the chamber, and a receiving casing for the crushed insects, the walls of said casing forming Scrapers for engaginoP with the crushing rolls. v

5. n apparatus of the classdescribed, a receiving casing,` crushing means at the bottom of said casing, an endless slatted belt forming one wall of the chamber, and means for preventing the accumulation of material on the belt and thereby permitting the free passage of air.

' 6. ln apparatus of the class described, a receiving chamber, crushing means at the lower portion of said chamber, an endless slatted belt forming one wall voi the chamber, 13o

10 ten-1.v

means for Opera ting the belt, and arevoluble belt @hearing device arranged Within the chambe. au provided wiah a plurality of blades mranged to Work in eose relation to the Surface of the belt.

'7. 111 eppemtusef the dass deserbed, a wheeed eeen 2, a crushing means theen, suceu. tubes for delivering the insects into seid and e of guard platesex- 11g fiese te the ground at opposite sides of the ow in order to prevent the lateral. escape oi' the mseets.

1n testuneny'that l clalm the foregomg as my own, I have hereto a''xed my signature in the pesence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH S. PEEK.

'Witnesses V 1J. R. BURNETT,'

MCCOLLUM BURNETT. 

